Short-toed rock thrush

The short-toed rock thrush is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

Loading map...

Distribution

Region

Southern Africa

Typical Environment

Occurs from southern Angola and Namibia through Botswana into northwestern and western South Africa, favoring dry shrublands, rocky hillsides, and escarpments. It keeps close to rugged terrain with scattered bushes and boulders. Breeding territories are typically on slopes with crevices suitable for nesting. Outside breeding, it may range more widely in semi-arid savanna and open scrub.

Altitude Range

600–2200 m

Climate Zone

Arid

Characteristics

Size18–20 cm

Wing Span28–34 cm

Male Weight0.055 kg

Female Weight0.05 kg

Life Expectancy7 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

A rock-loving thrush of southern Africa, the short-toed rock thrush frequents dry, stony slopes and escarpments where it forages on and between rocks. Males show striking contrasty colors, while females are more cryptic and mottled for camouflage. It often perches conspicuously on boulders to sing or scan for prey. Local movements follow rainfall and food availability.

Gallery

Behaviour

Temperament

solitary and territorial

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats with low, direct dashes between rocks

Social Behavior

Typically seen singly or in pairs, defending rocky territories during the breeding season. Nests are placed in crevices, ledges, or cavities among rocks; the cup nest is built from grasses and plant fibers. Pairs are monogamous in a season and the male often sings from exposed perches.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

Song is a clear, melodious series of whistles and fluty phrases delivered from prominent perches. Calls include sharp ticks and chatters when alarmed. The song carries well across rocky slopes in the early morning and late afternoon.

Unlock detailed bird insights with Pro access today.

Identification

Leg Colorblackish-grey

Eye Colordark brown

Plumage

Male shows a blue-grey head and upperparts with rich rufous to chestnut underparts and darker wings and tail; female is brownish and finely mottled with paler underparts for camouflage. Both sexes have a slender, straight bill and relatively short legs suited to hopping among rocks.

Feeding Habits

Diet

Primarily feeds on insects such as beetles, ants, termites, and caterpillars, which it gleans from ground, rock surfaces, and low shrubs. It will also hawk short distances to snap flying insects. Small quantities of berries and other small invertebrates may be taken opportunistically in season.

Preferred Environment

Forages on rocky ground, boulder-strewn slopes, and open shrubland with scattered perches. Often hunts from a rock, dropping to the ground to seize prey before returning to a vantage point.

Population

Total Known Populationunknown

Short-toed snake eagle

The short-toed snake eagle, also known as the short-toed eagle, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers. The genus name Circaetus is from the Ancient Greek kirkos, a type of hawk, and aetos, "eagle". The specific gallicus means "of Gallia".

Short-toed treecreeper

The short-toed treecreeper is a small passerine bird found in woodlands through much of the warmer regions of Europe and into north Africa. It has a generally more southerly distribution than the other European treecreeper species, the common treecreeper, with which it is easily confused where they both occur. The short-toed treecreeper tends to prefer deciduous trees and lower altitudes than its relative in these overlap areas. Although mainly sedentary, vagrants have occurred outside the breeding range.

Short-winged cisticola

The short-winged cisticola, also known as the siffling cisticola, is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Shovel-billed kookaburra

The shovel-billed kookaburra, also known as the shovel-billed kingfisher, is a large, approximately 33 cm (13 in) long, dark brown tree kingfisher with a heavy, short, and broad bill that is unique among the kingfishers. It has a dark head with a rufous stripe behind the eyes, a white throat, a rufous neck collar and underparts, a bright blue rump, brown iris, brownish-black bill with paler mandible, and pale feet. Both sexes are similar in appearance, but are easily recognized from the colour of the tail. The male has a dark bluish tail while female's is rufous. The juvenile has a female-like plumage with scale-patterned feathers.

Shy albatross

The shy albatross, also known as the shy mollymawk, is a medium-sized albatross that breeds on three remote islands off the coast of Tasmania, Australia, in the southern Indian Ocean. Its lifespan is about 60 years, and it has been seen as far afield as South Africa and the Pacific coast of the United States. As of June 2020, the species is listed as "Endangered" in Australia; there are thought to be 15,000 pairs of shy albatross left. It is Australia's only endemic albatross.